Repetitive motion injuries to the wrist and/or thumb are a steadily increasing problem among workers who perform repetitive tasks generally, and among typists and other keyboard workers in particular. A newly emerging problem is repetitive motion injuries, particularly those associated with the thumb, caused by the use of pda's (personal data assistants). For example, “Blackberry thumb” is a newly coined expression for such an injury. These injuries include carpal tunnel syndrome (CTS), deQuervains and other injuries. The pain resulting from such injuries and from arthritis, tendonitis and other hand fatigue can be excruciating, very difficult to treat, and debilitating. Loss of productivity due to these ailments and injuries among keyboard workers and even occasional keyboard wearers is estimated to be in the billions of dollars annually. Orthopedic restraint devices of many types and styles are commercially available. These devices, of course, have various degrees of effectiveness. Mere restrained movement is a primary treatment for any joint injury or joint pain. While restraint addresses such injuries and pain, there is a countervailing need to accommodate some movement in a working environment. Therefore, the orthopedic restraint devices must strike a compromise between maximum restraint and some mobility i.e., they should provide comfort and retain a significant stiffness that will urge but not force the wearer's wrist and thumb to neutral positions. The present invention addresses these concerns and provides such restraint as well as adjustable comfort with a desirable degree of mobility.
U.S. Pat. No. 6,213,969 to the applicant inventors, describes a glove/sleeve that serves as a carpal tunnel support. The contents of U.S. Pat. No. 6,213,969 are hereby incorporated by reference, as if set forth in their entirety. The carpal tunnel support of U.S. Pat. No. 6,213,969, however, does not provide support for the wearer's thumb, and therefore does not address or provide any intervention or remedy for the aforementioned injuries and maladies that can affect the joints of the wearer's thumb.
It would therefore be desirable to provide a wrist and thumb support that is easily put on, comfortable to the wearer, and provides a suitable compromise between restraint to prevent or cure repetitive motion injuries, and movement to allow the wearer to perform various operational functions.
Many orthopedic restraint devices are of fixed configuration, for example splints and other rigid portions are fixed in position, i.e., they are not removable or adjustable. In order to accommodate various wearers, uses and symptoms, it would be desirable to produce a wrist and thumb support with removable features. Cost savings are always a prominent consideration of a wearer/consumer. It would therefore be further desirable to provide a wrist/thumb support, especially one with rigid or semi-rigid support members, that is reversible and can be worn interchangeably on either of the wearer's hands.
These and other objectives are met by the invention summarized and described below.